


You Never Forget Your Training

by redlionspride



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), Finn is Amazing, Gen, Good Training, Leia is Proud, M/M, Poe is Turned On, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fill, Smart Finn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 03:55:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6888997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlionspride/pseuds/redlionspride
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn is a trained soldier, they forget that sometimes. An assassination attempt on General Organa's life does not go according to flimsy plan, as the ex-stormtrooper had been with the general at the time. Some people in the resistance still doesn't trust the ex-trooper but does Leia? </p>
<p>Poe's rather pleased about it all, at least.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Never Forget Your Training

**Author's Note:**

> This was a real quick fill for the tfa_kinkmeme, requesting a display of trained soldier Finn and reactions from the resistance. This was just done fast to try and get my writing mojo back! Hope you like it. 
> 
> Prompt found here:  
> http://tfa-kink.dreamwidth.org/3467.html?thread=6151307#cmt6151307

It had been a tough week at D’Qar. Since Starkiller base had been taken down a few months ago the entire place had to up and move. After all the Starkiller Base had been charging to take out their system, which was a good indication that the base was compromised. The First Order knew where they were. 

It was taking them some time to get everything moving though. For the moment a second base had been in the works, and half of D’Qar had made the move. It took a lot of precautions to do it safely, but they had to work fast still. You never know when someone might attack. 

Leia moved down a corridor, the hallway filled on either side with boxed goods needing to be moved still. In her hand was a data pad, which she was going over as they walked. “After this meeting, I need to go over the evacuation plans for your squadrons, Dameron. We can’t leave the other base uncovered because you feel the need to stay here.” 

“Yes ma’am, which is why Stiletto Squadron is at base already, Cobalt squadron is flying escort duty as needed, and what is left is staying to make sure we’re covered here.” Poe said, walking along with her, just a step behind, ducking around a box that stood out just a bit too far. He flashed Finn a grin, who was walking with them.

Finn, mostly sticking with them because he was talking to Poe when the General had come up to speak to him. She indicated he could come with them for now, so he had, wordless, as he had no place in all this. He’d finished recovery, and they wanted to move him to the other base, but he offered to stay until it was done. Mostly because… well, Poe was sticking around, Rey was off looking for Skywalker and he knew no one else. He wasn’t really apart of all this yet. Not really. Yet here he was, helping anyhow. 

“I notice you assigned your units so you were still around.” Leia said to Poe, who just smiled at her, that cocky charming smile of his. 

“Someone’s got to keep an eye on you, General. When you’re ready to leave for base, I’ll be your escort. Finn can fly with you as bodyguard.” Poe said, as if teasing Finn a bit with a wink.

Finn held back a snort. “Like she’ll need a bodyguard.” 

Leia chuckled at the two of them, but said to Poe. “Finn’s allowed to do as he sees fit. Until then, I have this meeting with Ackbar that I need to deal with. After that we need to see that this hall gets cleared next.” She went over another list of things on her data pad, frowning. There was so much that needed to be done. 

Walking the long hall, they passed several people, each person having to duck to the side, here or there to get past crates and boxes. The space was that cramped. Leia did her best to allow others to pass as well, but right now everything was a mess and everyone was in a hurry to clean it up. 

Ahead of them a young man with pulled back dark hair and a hollow face was moving towards them, and where most people would have waited for the General and her entourage to pass, he pushed forward swiftly, moving so that Leia had to side step and wait a moment by crates. 

It all happened in a flash. 

Poe and Leia were talking about fuel for ships. The man was pushing forward in a hurry, and Finn, eyes always moving, saw the vibroblade drop from his sleeve and extend out to his hand. Saw how his body was moving, and how close the knife was to the General. 

As Finn moved without thought he stepped forward, his hand shot out, grabbing the hand holding the knife. The knife that was just barely inches from gutting the small general. He didn’t hear Leia’s gasp of surprise. He didn’t hear Poe’s startled response either. 

What he heard was the man that trained him and his unit in hand to hand combat, speaking in his ear. Going through the details of how to disarm an attacker. His mind repeated the steps as his body did them, going through the motions. 

In slow motion it felt like it took minutes, his hand grabbing the man's, drawing it back, spinning it around backwards to the man's back and jerking his arm up, forcing him to drop the vibrating blade to the ground. His other arm tucking around to his head, locking his fingers around the attacker's chin and drawing his head backwards. With one twist he could kill the man. With one pull he could make him submit. 

It was the pull that brought the man to the ground, crashing to his knees. Finn took the moment to twist the arm, cracking the shoulder out of socket as he used it to force the man down, face to the floor. His knee came into his back and he hovered there, one fist held high, like he was going to hit him if he moved. He could just barely hear his own snarling voice saying it. “Don’t move. Don’t you kriffing move!” 

In reality it all happened in a blink of a second. 

Poe had moved to stand in front of the general, arm out and hand going for his blaster, but his hand barely hit the butt of the blaster before he realized Finn was _yelling_ at the man not to move. He could feel the General’s small hand tucked in at the small of his back, leaning around him to look, surprise on her face as well. 

There were others watching also. Most everyone so shocked still that it seemed the entire world had gone silent. You could hear a bolt drop clear from the hangar bay to here, it was so silent.

The man on the ground was in pain, grunting, yelling at each movement. His face pressed so hard down that his cheeks were smooshed into the stone floor. His one free arm moved in desperation, clawing at the floor, moving to try and grab for his knife that he had no idea where it was at. 

Finn arched the man's arm back closer to him and leaned his knee in. “DON’T MOVE!” He called down firmly to the man, angry eyes staring at the side of his face. The man’s hand suddenly stopped groping. The fight given out of him. 

“Finn!” Poe called, eyes large in surprise. 

The ex-stormtrooper didn’t move, just glared down and held it. Held the man in the hold position, until he heard his instructor tell him to let up. Until he was allowed to let go. He stared down at the man on the floor, waiting, waiting. 

General Organa moved first, slinking around Poe with ease and grace, moving to reach a hand out to Finn. 

“General! No!” Someone said from outside the tiny circle of spectators. “He’ll snap your neck as well!!” The unreasonable startled call had startled others into thinking again. Fears and murmurs starting to follow. 

She shot a dark glare to the small crowded, daring someone to step forward, before she moved towards Finn, speaking firmly, in a very ‘The General is giving orders’ kind of way. “That will do. At ease, Finn.” 

It was instantaneous. Finn drew back, hands releasing the man and coming out to his sides and up a bit, as if to say ‘I let go!’ His knee drew back, standing swiftly to move away from the man, though his eyes stayed on the attacker, as if expecting him to make a break for it. He sucked in a breath, surprised to feel the adrenaline rushing through his body in a way that felt cooling. 

“Stand down.” Leia said calmly, watching Finn step back into a crate and draw his hands to his sides. Her hand softly came to his elbow, holding his arm there as she came in to stand next to him. Poe and one other moved in to help the attacker up, who was grunting in pain as they did so. Two guards pushed through a couple of people, sliding in to put restraints on the man and pull him away, taking him into custody. 

Finn looked startled now, feeling the soft touch to his elbow, looking down at the small woman with a raise of his brow. It was as if things were starting to come back to him, as if he realized what he had just done. Though to him it wasn’t a ‘I saved the woman’s life’ it was more a sudden dread of ‘what the hell is wrong with me’. 

Leia smiled up at him and nodded once. A job well done. “Thank you.” 

“General, I…” He started, eyes wide still, unsure of what to say. He didn’t mean to make a show of it, and he didn’t mean to lose his cool. Everything just fell into place. He didn’t do anything with mean intent either, but someone just tried to kill a woman he had slowly come to respect. He isn’t apart of this. She isn’t his General, but he respects her and she’s been helping him. She’s tried to ease him into things without pushing him into the Resistance. She doesn’t seem to want to make him a tool. She asked for his help and he gave it to them. That was it. 

He respected her so much and hadn’t even realized it until someone stepped in and tried to kill her. 

“Finn!” Poe said, breaking Finn’s startled thoughts, coming up to his friend, grinning. “That was amazing! How did you even see it coming? You were moving before he even had his knife out.” 

“I ah… I don’t know? Training, I suppose? I recognized the movement and intent.” He said sheepishly. His eyes were still wide and he looked worried around at others. People were staring, like they had never seen a fighter before. Like they had never seen someone take down and attacker like that before. 

It hit him that it wasn’t what he had done, but who had done it. A Stormtrooper in their mists, well trained and deadly. He suddenly felt sick. This was more of a reason he didn’t want to be involved. He didn’t want to be known. Poe was saying something still, giving Finn praise but he wasn’t hearing it. 

It was Leia’s comment that that caught his attention. Someone around them had made a comment. Something the General wasn’t pleased with. Perhaps it wasn’t meant for all of their ears, but the General was sharp. “You… you did just see what he did, did you not?” She said sternly, but also unbelieving of her ears. Her dark eyes stared down the person who said it. 

Finn, not knowing what was said sucked in a breath. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to step out of bounds or anything. I’m sure you had that. I don’t… know what came over me. I just reacted and I should have, I don’t… know. I let it just happen and went with it. I didn’t mean to act like--ah, I’m sorry, ma’am. Ah, General.” He babbled, a hand coming up to rub at his nose, clearly embarrassed, unsure and a bit scared. 

Leia raised a brow looking up at him as he babbled, letting him do it for the moment, but as he seemed to realize she was staring at him and petered off, she raised her head a bit and smiled at him. “Finn. Calm down.” She said, reaching out to take his hand. “If you hadn’t moved the moment you did, I might be dead, or worse, on my way to a half packed medical unit.” 

“Ah, no, ma’am, I’m sure you would have--” he started, but she cut him off with a stern but tender look. 

“But I didn’t.” Her voice was firm and yet still had a softness to it. She pat his arm once more with her hand, trying to be reassuring. She had been through one too many assassination attempts in her life to be too very shaken up about this one, but this one was honestly one of the closer ones and she was grateful to him. “I can’t express how grateful I am to have you here with us.” 

The General gave him a smile, then looked to the few people still standing around. “And I trust him to do the right thing. For any of us.” She then looked to Poe, stepping back from both boys now. “I still have that meeting with Ackbar, and now I need to look into this as well. I’ll leave you two for now.” 

Poe started to protest leaving her alone, but she nodded to the guards that were standing near by, ready to escort her to her command center, or anywhere else she needed. “Yes, General.” Poe said a moment later, giving her a nod. The General started to move again, towards the two Guards waiting for her.

“Oh, and Finn.” The woman said, pausing to look back at the ex-Stormtrooper once more. “It is completely up to you what you do while you are here. Resistance or not, I would be honored if you would seriously consider being my bodyguard for the flight to the new base.”

“I, uh, yes ma’am.” Finn said in surprise, agreeing to do it, though it could have come across as just agreeing to consider it. Either way, he and Poe stood there as people moved to the side, allowing Leia to lead the way with two new people behind her by a step. She had a lot to do. Even more now with this attempt. 

The group of people started to thin out again. Going back to work they had been doing before everything went down. One man, the vocal one in the crowd, moved past Finn with a critical look as he passed. Finn looked away, sheepish and embarrassed for the moment, stepping closer to Poe to keep out of the way. 

Poe couldn’t stop beaming at Finn. 

“What?” Finn said after a moment, unsure and curiously looking at the man. 

“Nothing.” Poe said, shifting a bit to adjust himself. He wasn’t going to move from this spot for a moment, that was for sure. His pants couldn’t hide everything. “Nothing. Just that.. I’ve never seen you move that fast. That efficiently.” 

“Heh, thanks.” Finn said, as if what the other said was an insult. 

“No! I’m serious. That was amazing. I mean, I know you’re well trained, but you stepped into action and had that man down before I could even grab my blaster.” 

“Ah… training. I guess. That’s all.” Finn frowned, biting a lip a moment and looking off down at the back of the grouchy man in the distance. “It’s not always a good thing, I suppose. It’s bad enough people here don’t trust me as it is. Now I go and do that? Ow!” Finn jerked forward as he felt a hand reach out and slap the back of his head. 

“Stop that.” Poe said, looping his arm around Finn’s neck and pulling him to walk again. His other hand in his pants pocket to help hide some dwindling things. He lead the way through the row of crates as he spoke. “They just don’t know you like I do. News of this will help though. You saved her life. That’s amazing. You’re amazing. I know you’re still trying to figure out what you want to do, but let me tell you, I’m damned glad you’re around. For more reasons than what you just did, too.” 

Finn walked along with Poe, rubbing at his nose carefully, eyes down, embarrassed still, but smiling a bit more as Poe talked. “I don’t know about all that, but now I am interested in what the hell was going on back there.” He confessed. Giving Poe a better grin he said. “I’m not convinced that I belong here, but… I wouldn’t mind seeing if I can help investigate what was going on with that guy. Do you think they’d mind?” 

Poe snorted and slapped Finn on the back. “Not at all. Come on, we can go see if they have anything. There’s going to be a lot of investigating on the man anyhow. Maybe it’s something you might be interested in doing.” 

The pilot had been trying to find ways to make Finn feel welcome and useful. To give him something else to do other then fight. And though he just displayed his skills in fighting, perhaps helping in security matters would be a good place for him to start. Something that might suck him more into helping the Resistance, even if he already was doing that as it was. 

This at least might help him feel more comfortable. More at ease. A bit more wanted by others. 

Poe knew he wanted him. God how he wanted him. After that? It was damn hot, and he was having to deal with it on his own at the moment. No way was he going to make this weird. ‘Oh, gee, Finn, you're nearly breaking that guy's arm and shoving him to the floor got me hot and bothered.’ No. That wouldn’t fly. 

“Come on. We’ll see if you can help with that. Then I’ll go finish my duties for the afternoon, and check in on the General.” Poe said, leading Finn off with a smile. It was terrible to think on it, but the man's actions did NOT help his thoughts at all. He’s been holding back, because he knows Finn isn’t keen on staying here, but now? Now he hopes there’s something more here for Finn. 

“I think I might take the General up on your idea. About flying with her to the new base.” Finn said lightly, as if only now just considering it. Trying it on for size as he said it out loud. “And seeing as you’re be flying escort for her as well, I suppose that means we’d leave base at the same time too.” Finn said with a soft smile. 

After all, he was mostly still here because of Poe.


End file.
